Tagged with lenses - Personal View Talks

New Anamorphic Lens From Canon?

GOODEMPIRE — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:45:35 +0000

http://photorumors.com/2012/04/01/new-anamorphic-lens-for-canon-dslr-cameras/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotoRumors+%28PhotoRumors.com%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Looks just.... unbelievable.... I wonder what would be the price?

Sale: Canon FDs

oscillian — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:29:47 +0000

nFD 35mm 2.0 + BW52A hood - 170 EUR

nFD 50mm 1.4 - 90 EUR

FD SSC 24mm 2.8 - 90 EUR

FD VIVITAR 28-90 2.8-3.5 - 170 EUR

FD VIVITAR 28mm 2.0 - (stuck @ 2.0) - 30 EUR

Will ship from Sweden within the EU. + shipping costs

(other lenses in picture already sold)

PM me if you are interested! :-)

More native µ43 f/1.4 lenses please

stoney — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:47:57 +0000

I like f/1.4 lenses. A combination of f/1.4 and ISO 3200 is good enough for low lighting.

Why f/1.4? Nokton 0.95 is great for GH1 with usual max ISO 800. But GH2 can push ISO to 3200. That's 2 stops gain. Then f/1.4 lens might be good enough at much lower cost. Also 1.4 bokeh looks nicer than 0.95 bokeh.

Voigtlander seems going after classical focal lenths for 2x crop factor of m43 with 4:3 ratio. Thus the 17.5mm and 25mm. But I want 2.35:1 ratio... and it's easier to create the wider look with wider angles.

Specifically I want 11mm, 14mm, 20mm, 35mm with native µ43 mount, f/1.4, only manual focus... to keep the price and the overall size/weight down. You know... a set of modern fast manual focus lenses at good cost. The focal lengths seems weird, but Panasonic already produced 14mm and 20mm pancakes. Since Olympus already made 12mm 2.0, I hope Panasonic produces 11mm prime lens. There is a huge gap between 20mm 1.7 and 45mm 1.8. I hope Panasonic produces 35mm prime lens. So 11/14/20/35 don't sound too crazy. But they wouldn't be 1.4.

Samyang?

Lens Hacks for Focus-By-Wire Speed/Sensitivity

Majost — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:00:20 +0000

Has anyone done any work around reverse engineering the firmware for any of the mFT lenses?

Specifically, I am interested in changing the sensitivity of the focus ring on lenses such as the Panny 20mm & 25mm so that they are more follow focus friendly.

Short film shot with GH2 + Lomo cinema lenses

ed_lee83 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:57:53 +0000

I know a few peeps here are fans of Lomo lenses (and some are also selling them on here), so I've finally been able to upload a short I DP'ed last year shot here in Hong Kong with the GH2 (unhacked!), filmed entirely with Lomo OCT-19 glass: Standard speeds 18mm (a bit unsharp here), 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 37-140. Plus a 35mm T1.4 for the stills used in the short. Unfortunately I couldn't secure the 1080 version, this was a DVD rip. The short is gonna try some other fests so I have to keep it private viewing for now. It's called "This File Cannot Be Deleted" (director's in-joke) and is in Chinese, so it has English subtitles. The story is loose at best, but I'd say most of you would like to see the quality of the lenses. It was showcased at a film festival here and held up very well on the big screen.

pass: delete

Indie Filmmaking Lenses

bostonmike — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:18:18 +0000

I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to lenses. I purchased the GH2 with the intent of filming a few screenplays I've written over the years, or at least short films in order to promote them. I have no use in the camera for still photography except in capturing stills to eventually promote the videos. I purchased the camera with the 14-140mm kit lens. I really didn't think I would use this kit lens much for filmmaking, since I really hate the zoom look in films. I prefer to move the camera itself, but at $1100 I couldn't beat the price of the 14-140mm pkg.

So between looking at a film called Musgo, which was filmed entirely on GH2 with Tokina (I can't afford) and Nikon 28mm and 50mm lenses, I decided I would purchase a couple. I like the look of the film. I found a Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AIS on Ebay for $158 and a Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS for $135...I have only $300 to spend, so I thought this might be a good set. I haven't purchased them yet. I saw cheaper non-AIS lenses, but not sure if that matters.

On the other hand, I recently saw a video I liked that had a Vivitar 28-90mm f2.8 lens and a Konica Hexanon 40mm f1.8 lens that I liked. I found them for $139 and $70 on Ebay....and another fixed lens Vivitar 28mm AIS f2.8 for $80.

Much of where I will be shooting is right here in the city, lots of shaded streets, under bridges, subway, in vehicles, as well as indoor and bright outdoor settings, etc..so I want lenses that can cover a wide variety of light situations. I love the look of rich contrast and I didn't think the Canon 50mm samples showed much of that. I don't want to be spending money on a focal length that I already have covered with the 14-140 unless it gives me a lot more options as far as light goes.

I would love some input from people who have more experience with any of these lenses. I'm trying to make the most out of my limited $$$. Thanks a lot!

-Mike

Idea for a custom M4/3 adapter for video.

Gabel — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:49:51 +0000

One of the issues with still lenses is that they are in many ways not well suited for film, but I have some ideas on what to improve them! Most of this comes not from improving the lenses, but the adapter between them. My ideas so far would be an adapter like this:

1. Mounted sideways: This way the focus mark and aperature all end up mounted sideways, like a cine-lens. Makes life for your focus puller easier.

2. Extra tight lock: As we saw in another thread, adapters tend to be a bit loose at times. While there are ways to improve it, I would not mind and extra lock screw.

3. Ability to set flange to focal distance (shimming more or less): This might not work in practice, but this would be to make sure the focus marks are on, but as they might be off on the lens, this might be rendered moot.

And if possible a back that has a bokeh filter holder added, for getting anamorphic bokeh at a wide-angle.

Do you think this would be doable? Because an adapter like this could help a lot for us that use a focus puller and to adapt still lenses for better work for video!

Proposition about variable ETC mode

stuckvoxel — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:55:56 +0000

I'm here to make the case again to Vitaliy to figure out how to control the GH2's cropping and downscaling features, and allow us to change them through ptool. (If it's not obvious, this post concerns video, not stills.)

There's a universe of old C-mount lenses out there, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 inch, and 16mm, each of which makes a different sized image circle. To use each of these lenses to their fullest, you want your camera's sensor to be slightly smaller than that image circle. With the GH2 we have a camera with the capability to have any sensor size you want, up to 4/3. The "universal-format camera" is in our hands, we just need some awesome hardware hacker to unlock it!

The "proof" that the GH2 is capable of this is found in the facts that 1) the GH2 is currently able (has the processing power) to take the entire 4/3-inch, 4976x2800, 16:9 portion of the sensor, and downscale that to 1920x1080 or 1280x720 (did I see that some of you had got the GH2 to use other sizes?); and 2) the GH2 is also capable of using only part of the frame, with no downsampling (as demonstrated in ETC mode). So it's not much of a stretch to believe that the GH2 is capable of taking any 16:9 subset of the sensor's pixels AND downscaling that to any 16:9 pixel size! (Indeed, by de-centering the crop region, you could correct for the inevitable misalignment between lens and sensor.)

So the challenge to you, Vitaliy, is to figure out how to choose that subset of pixels and add that item to ptool. Then, for example, I can take the 4160x2340 subset of the GH2 sensor's 4976x2800 pixels* that my cheap, fast, good 1-inch format C-mount lens can cover, and get great video. Right now, the only way to use this lens is to crop the video in post, which kills resolution (up-sampling, yecch) and wastes bandwidth encoding parts of the frame that are going to be cropped away.

(*yes I know it's more complicated than that, since it's a Bayer sensor, and the full sensor is more like 4976x3456, but you know what I mean.)

Further, as balazer pointed out in the posting "GH2 ETC-mode noise penalty" ( www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/27293 ) the GH2's downsampling achieves 95% of theoretical efficiency at noise reduction by binning. So in my example above, where I'd be using about 70% of the area of the whole 16:9 portion of the sensor, my lens would have only a half-stop noise penalty compared to some way overpriced lens that could light the whole 4/3 frame--if such a lens even exists in this focal length. And spatial resolution (as in lines per picture height) would still be excellent, since the downscaling to 1920x1080 would still be a reduction to around 45% of the raw image. So the result would look far better than the existing ETC mode.

Suddenly, all that old C-mount glass, as ridiculously overpriced as some of it has become, will finally be worth using. No more dark corners. No more frustration with not knowing what image format a given C-mount lens that you find on eBay was designed for. If it's a C-mount lens, your GH2 would be able to use it to full advantage. As a side effect, this would encourage more reasonable pricing of Noktons, Noktors, and the rare cine lens that happens to fully cover 4/3.

Here's hoping that with Panasonic's release of the v1.1 firmware, this level of control will finally be possible! Perhaps this feature can be implemented as a modification to ETC mode, which would provide a handy way of turning this feature on and off through the camera's menu in the field.

Thanks again, Vitaliy, for all you've done.

Rotating lens adapter for Micro 4/3 primes

DrDave — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:39:55 +0000

Looking at old TV cameras, you can see some that have three lenses mounted which rotate. Since Micro 4/3 needs an adapter anyway, why not make where you can attach three prime lenses and rotate them while filming? I would buy one!

Last chance Smurf

DrDave — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:33:13 +0000

Last chance to pick out the lenses in the Smurfathon. Take a chance, spin the wheel. The candidates are the Olly 45mm, the Vivitar 55mm and the Rokkor 50mm. Easy as pie!

Topic on Director's Viewfinders

qwerty123 — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:54:08 +0000

Director's Viewfinders can be very helpful on a shoot or preplanning to see what different focal lengths look like for a particular framing without having to actually change lenses (especially useful if you are shooting with primes). So, let's start a topic to discuss and recommend some!

17mm (35mm equivalent) lack of such lenses

Elenion — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:59:10 +0000

I think that m43 companies did a big mistake to not building any good (almost any lens at all, except for the bad olympus 17 2.8) 35mm equivalent lens.
The M43 cameras suit perfectly the needs of street shooters and photojournalists, because of their size and iq and 35mm is their favourite focal lenght.
An ep-3 with a 17,5 f1.4 would be the first choice for many professionists all over the world. I know that we have the olympus 17 2,8 but on the m43 platform this lens is really too slow.
What do you think?

Info about Goyo lenses

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:49:37 +0000

I mean industrial lenses for 4/3" sensor:
http://www.goyooptical.com/products/industrial/magapixel.html

Just got some approximate pricing info and availability info (if someone is interested).

GMHR61220MCN 59,000YEN
GMHR61620MCN 56,750YEN
GMHR62520MCN 51,500YEN
GMHR63520MCN 50,000YEN
GMHR65020MCN 49,250YEN

Availability : July

Selling old lenses

stoney — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:31:55 +0000

Vivitar 28mm 2.0 close focus
- Sorry. Not for sale.

Hexanon 40mm 1.8 AR
- Not for sale.

Nikkor 85mm 2.0 AI
- Plus Metabones F adapter, original front cap, m43 rear cap, original Nikon HS-10 hood
- This one going to ebay. Frankly I think Samyang/Rokinon 85mm 1.4 is much better.
- $245

Canon 50mm 1.4
- Plus FD adapter, original front cap, m43 rear cap
- $85

Pentax 25mm 1.4
- Plus C mount adapter, 52mm step-up ring, 52mm generic front cap, m43 rear cap
- Like new condition
- $75

All lenses fully functional, no scratch, no fungus, smooth focus ring with good damping. Buyers pay shipping.

Internal Lens Correction Software/Firmware

wardas — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:21:46 +0000

I am using a Canon EF 100mm macro lens and am wondering if the lens correction firmwaremight be degrading my image quality. Thus my questions.

When using 3rd party legacy lenses that have no electrical connection to the GH2, what is the status of the lens correction firmwarein the GH2? Is the lens correction firmware active/activated only when a m4/3 lens is used, or is in on all the time? A second question, if the lens correction firmware is on all the time, can it be turned off with the HACK?

Fast zoom lenses, F2.8, for podium

Jspatz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:40:13 +0000

I am looking for advice on a a pair of zoom lenses for shooting speakers at a podium. They need to be fast. I will probably use them in EX-TELE mode and they need to be zooms so I can tune up the framing for various speakers. Tripod always and wide open. I am considering. Compactness is also a consideration for travel.
Tokina 28-70 2.8
Tamron 28-75 2.8
Nikon 35-70 2.8
I currently only have an FD adapter so I will need to figure out if I should get the Nikon or Pentax versions in the case of the Tokina or Tamron.
I already have the Olympus 35-100 f2 but may not use it because of transportation logistics.

Also, would some version of a C-mount be usable in this application?

Any other suggestions, thoughts or shared experiences would be much appreciated.

Nikon Nikkor MF Ai 50mm f1.4

Butt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:10:49 +0000

recommended for GH2?

Technique to quickly change Digital SLR Camera lenses

stoney — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:33:41 +0000

The latter part tip is pretty useful for changing pancake lenses.

Fast lens for low light and general purpose

bartolomeo — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:13:41 +0000

Would like to add two manual focus lenses to my gear. I am working on a documentary at the moment with interviews and so on.
I have got only the 14-140mm lens at the moment. Which lenses for low light situations and general purpose would you recommend? Something i could buy on ebay with international shipping option would be great.

A other q. did someone find out if there is any way to keep the aperture of the 14-140 lens locked while zooming in or out.

Thanks a lot and enjoy whatever you are doing

Fast and Ultra Fast Lenses Discussion

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sun, 15 May 2011 07:54:06 +0000

Despite I am not very big fan of ultra fast lenses I know that they are very popular now.

So, I am making this topic and add small bits of my expirience

Note! Only F1.4 and faster lenses are discussed here. Exceptions being fastest lenses in their focal ranges (like ultrawide and telephoto).

My own expirience is not very big.
While I like my Samyang 85mm F1.4, I rarely use it wide open.
My tests with various F1.2 and F1.4 50mm lenses showed that I really do not need them and do not like their quality in open state.
Sigma 30mm F1.4 is also not for me. I'll try to test Samyang 35mm F1.4 soon and hope that it'll be more suitable.
I do not own Nokton 25mm F0.95 and do not have any intention to have it. Looking at reviews it is fine lens, but it have many similar things with AF100 - same heavy marketing trying to sold pricey lens to people who do not need it. I can only prise PR department of Cosina sending amazing amount of lenses to bloggers and leading shooters for review. Many companies need to learn from it.

Good Deals: Nikon AF-S 18-70mm

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Thu, 26 May 2011 06:45:41 +0000

It is not best lens in the world.

But if you got GH1 or GH2 body and want zoom for cheap, it'll go just fine.

Look for sales or ones with AF defect (about $100 or less):

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-AF-S-18-70mm-F3-5-4-5G-ED-DX-Autofocus-Zoom-Lens-/270754692972?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3f0a3cbf6c

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-DX-AF-S-Nikkor-18-70mm-f-3-5-4-5-G-ED-lens-READ-/140555520854?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item20b9c30b56

Lens basics for dummies

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:59:37 +0000

Via: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2011/08/15/oh-dear-the-viking-has-landed-and-uh-the-astronaut/

How long will my relation with panny last?

luax — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:23:58 +0000

Something in the vein of luxury problems.
I found myself breaking my head over what road to go when it comes to buying into a (new) lens system.
As a PAL native and I felt a little 'put off/betrayed' by panasonic because of the PAL related issues when it comes to the our beloved gh2.
It raised pherhaps completely unnecessary questions like: Will I stick with lumix for the next couple of years? If not? Is it wise to infest a lot of money into a M43 system?
Since I feel that panasonic abandoned me and my PAL pals a little, will I stay faithful to them?
So my question is, what would be a good way to go lensewise that does well on the GH2 but could also soften divorce procedure when going into a potential new marriage in the future?

Adapting still lenses for video work

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:43:23 +0000

Via http://dslrvideoshooter.com/episode-23-preparing-photography-lenses-for-video/

Choosing the Right Lens, short video

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 04:44:43 +0000

In most part it is for Canon owners.
But it also describes (in very simlified form) why you need primes.
And why you need follow focus.

How it works: Image stabilization

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:25:20 +0000

The secret to an image stabilized lens is an internal lens element that is allowed to float off of the original optical axis. While the front and rear elements remain stationary, the internal floating lens bounces to and fro to compensate for the movements of our shaking hand. The scenario roughly unfolds as follows. Tiny gyroscopes and accelerometers detect subtle movements of the lens. They then trigger circuits which move the floating lens in equal and opposite directions to counteract the movement.

Read the rest at http://www.cameratechnica.com/2011/06/16/the-science-of-image-stabilization-technology/

Good Deals: Tokina AT-X SD 80-200MM

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:41:00 +0000

Tokina 80-200mm in first manual focus version.
Quite famous MF push-pull zoom.
Not very sharp wide open, but much better closed down.
Price is $100, for Nikon version. Very rare on ebay (normally you could see it at $250-$400).
Reason - this is some kind of sale of everything (look at other seller lots).

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tokina-AT-X-SD-80-200MM-1-28-P-N8306432-W-Case-Used-/290572967550?pt

Broken Lenses for Sale

kainekainekaine — Thu, 19 May 2011 08:46:27 +0000

Post links here to broken lenses for people to consider repairing and getting a good lens on the cheap.

Canon F2.8L 300mm Telephoto Spares or Repair Non IS

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120726275890

Using only two lenses

stoney — Sat, 14 May 2011 21:31:40 +0000

Originally lpowell's tip. Carrying two matching lenses seems working most of the time.

Lumix 20.7 and Hexanon 40.8
Vivitar 28/2.0 and Hexanon 57.4
Any 50.4 and either Lumix 25.4 or Nokton 25.95
Lumix 7-14 and Lumix 14-140
etc

I don't own half of them. Nokton.. ah... sad. A year ago I thought owning 3 lenses would do it... but I wanna own more lenses. Not to carry them all the time. To have more selections in dual lenses.

Nikon lenses sharpness comparison

Vitaliy_Kiselev — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:36:56 +0000

Made by one of NikonRumors.com authors.

Only lenses with full frame sensor coverage are included.